Mini Crop Dusters Information

Remote control aircraft can be rigged to become mini crop dusters.

A crop duster is an aircraft modified to apply fertilizer and pesticides on plants and destructive insects. While the history of crop dusting extends almost as far back as aircraft, miniature versions are new in comparison. (ref 1)

History

Crop dusting became popular early in the 20th century, as it provided an efficient way for a farmer to apply strengthening and protective chemicals to a large number of crops. By the beginning of the 21st century it became viable for smaller farms to utilize a newer, smaller version of the crop duster.

Mini

Miniature crop dusting can be implemented with remote control (RC) aircraft that are much smaller and less expensive to purchase and maintain than normal airplanes.

Viability

While spray systems can be attached to RC aircraft, mini crop dusters have the drawback of not being efficient for large farms due to a vastly decreased payload. Building one requires someone with a bit of technical know-how as mini crop dusting systems are not yet commercially produced as of Jan. 2011, but they can be a fun project.

References

• Centennial of Flight: Crop Dusters
• RC Guys: Dan Schneider's Spray System